Family Feuds and Rubberneckers
by Magicgirl29
Summary: After Firo saves Jacuzzi from an attack by the Russo family, he doesn't realise just how much trouble it would cause. When it is confirmed that the boy with the sword tattoo has been sneaking around the Martillo family for a long time, questions start to rise as well as trouble when the Russo family is under the wrong impression.


Firo Prochainezo heard voices drifting from the alley nearby, turning he caught a glimpse of a black suit tail disappearing from sight around the corner. Curiosity took over him, and being the interfering one he was, he decided it was worth checking out.

"Firo, you listening?" Maiza asked as he observed the young boy. Firo glanced back at him.

"You didn't hear that?" He questioned. "Sounded like trouble to me. I'm gonna check it out." He said and took off running to the source of the noise. Maiza called out to him from behind.

"Firo, nobody likes a rubbernecker!" His comment fell on death ears as the young man retorted with a suggestion that someone might need help. Maiza chuckled slightly and gave a small smile as he watched the retreating form vanish from sight. Firo walked quietly but confidently through the alley until the noise grew louder.

'_Strange,' _He thought. _'It's not a fight, I don't hear the signs." _He continued to walk until he heard a high pitched cry that seemed to belong to a young man. Turning his head he found the cause of disruption. Three men dressed in black suits were stood up with their guns pointed at a young man who was cowering, his arms shielding his face from view. Firo raised an eyebrow underneath his green hat.

"Please, we can talk this out!" The young man cried. He was clearly very desperate. "Y-You killed eight of our men, we had no choice but to act!" The man in the black suit in the centre sent a kick his way in rage. This was rewarded with a gasp from the boy of nineteen years. The boy cowered and shrunk away from them, forcing his back against the wall. His arms still forming as a shield to hide his identity. Eventually one of the men got the sense that they were no longer alone, and so he turned around. Firo did not react once he'd been seen; he just stood with his green hat shielding half of his face and his hands stuffed into his trouser pockets.

"What're you doing around here, you shitty brat?" The man cursed, alerting the others to another's presence. Firo remained unaffected by the insult.

"I'm ain't no shitty brat, and I heard a noise and got curious. That's why I'm here." He said simply without any hint of fear. The man that addressed him stormed up to meet him half way, a vain popping out on his forehead.

"Beat it, kid. Who are you anyway?" Firo raised his head slightly, a small and casual smile set on his face.

"I ain't a kid either and since you asked, I'll tell ya. They call me Firo Prochainezo; I recently joined the well-respected Martillo family." Firo felt it was not necessary for him to know the names of the people he was about to fight.

"Why're you talking with him so much?" One of the men barked. "Shut that kid up!" Firo rolled his eyes as the man rushed the rest of the way to him. He had pocketed his gun when he had stormed up, obviously under the assumption that brute strength was enough to handle him. Firo dodged under the punch aimed at his head, as he ducked he managed to throw his hat into the air with one hand. The man was swinging blindly now, aiming kicks and punches in the hope to catch his opponent out but to no avail. Firo jumped backwards away from another punch and up to avoid the kick sweep. Eventually Firo grew tired of his opponent and grabbed him by the arm, flipping him over and kicking him square in the face. Satisfied to see the blood trickle down the man's face, Firo turned back and caught his hat just as another man ran at him. Again, he threw the hat into the air and dodged any attacks aimed. At one point the man thought he had succeeded as once he threw a hit, the boy had flown backwards towards the wall. However, as Firo's feet connected with the hard brick wall, he managed to force himself forward. He collected all of his energy into one fist and slammed into his challenger. Two men down and not a single dent in his hat. His hat fell perfectly onto his head and with that he faced the final man.

"Aw, c'mon now," He said with a sigh in his voice. "You really need that thing?" The final man was holding a gun at him. Had this man learned nothing? He shot the gun without regarding the aim. Firo simply stepped to the side and began to approach the man, who kept missing the young boy as many bullets zoomed past him with ease. Eventually he got so close that he was able to pluck the gun from his hands and break it under his foot on the floor. The man's glare was deep but eventually he took off, leaving his men behind to recover like that coward he was. Firo quickly ran to the boy's side and knelt down next to him. "Hey," He said as he put a hand on his shoulder. "You OK there, buddy?"

The young man finally moved his arms away from his face. What Firo saw surprised him greatly. A tattoo of a sword dominated his face as though it was an actual scar. He blinked as he took the image of the young man in. He'd seen him before, he knew he had.

"T-Thanks," He stuttered. "I'm Jacuzzi Splot."

"Who were those guys?" He asked, glancing back at the unconscious forms.

"Members of the Russo family." Jacuzzi replied, his stutter now gone from his voice. Firo looked back at him intently.

"Russo family, eh?" He considered the name to see if it was of any importance to him. "What did ya do to get 'em so pissed off?"

"Robbed eighteen of their family's speakeasies in one day." He retorted. Firo grinned and nodded his approval, emphasising this with a pat on the back.

"All in a day, huh? Nice work, if you're that good then why let them walk all over ya?" Jacuzzi didn't answer, he just sighed with a troubled look on his face. "Ah, forget about it." Firo said, standing to his feet and offering his hand. "C'mon, no use hangin' round here." Jacuzzi hesitated slightly but then accepted the gesture and stood to his feet.

"You said your name is Firo, right?" He asked.

"That I did." He replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets underneath his blazer. Jacuzzi seemed to be pondering something in silence. "What's the problem?"

"I was just wondering… If your name is Prochainezo, how're you a member of the Martillo family?" He questioned, searching his face for an explanation. For a moment, Firo's face was devoid of any emotion.

"You need to listen a bit more," He started with a sigh, closing his eyes slightly. "I recently joined the family. They orphaned me after I tried to rob 'em." The word 'orphaned' stuck out to him immediately and for a moment Jacuzzi felt sorry for him, not having anywhere to turn to. But he supposed that if the family he robbed is also his new family, there was really no issue.

"I-I see." He said simply and the conversation was left alone.

"We should high tail it before these wake up." Jacuzzi nodded in agreement and picked up one of the fallen guns and stuck it in his own pocket before exiting the alley with Firo. When they left Jacuzzi turned to Firo.

"What do I owe you?" He asked, a shake rising in his tone yet again. Firo cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Owe me?" He echoed. Jacuzzi nodded. "Oh, ya mean because I helped you? Forget about it."

"B-But, I wasted your time." He pointed out nervously, wondering if he was digging himself into a deeper hole.

"That time wasn't needed anywhere else." He retorted calmly with a small shrug of his shoulders. "Sides, your family ain't never given my family any grief so we're good." And with that the pair shook hands. "I gotta dash, but hey, I'll see ya around." He said, turning and walking back in the direction of which he left Maiza.

"Yeah. And thanks again!" Jacuzzi called out.

"Not a problem, pal." Firo casually waved a hand to dismiss the politeness coming from the other young man.

Maiza was walking calmly through the streets, heading back towards the hotel of which the family were currently residing in. It was always good to keep on the move. Just as he was about to enter the building, Firo joined him, bringing a hand down on his shoulder. When Maiza turned he smiled at the younger boy with a knowing look.

"I get it, I get it," Firo drawled, waving a hand to dismiss the unspoken comment. "I'm a rubbernecker." The pair laughed and entered the building. As they walked through the deathly silent corridor Firo began to wonder about the boy he had saved in the alley. He'd heard tales before about the young man with the sword tattoo, marvellous stories… but that boy he'd met was rather weak, despite the fact that he said he'd effortlessly robbed eighteen speakeasies in one day.

"What's on your mind, Firo?" Maiza asked, glancing at him slightly, his eyes hidden behind his glasses.

"Y'know the guy with the sword tattoo?" He asked, looking straight ahead. "Just ran into 'im in an alley. Got on someone's bad side, that's what I interrupted." Maiza raised an eyebrow at him.

"I wasn't aware he was in New York, that's pleasant news. What family was giving him grief?" He questioned with a keen and obvious interest.

"Russo." He said simply. Maiza nodded in acknowledgement.

"Makes sense. I heard he robbed eighteen speakeasies." Firo nodded, for some reason he was especially surprised that Maiza had heard this information before he had.

"He was easily scared though." Firo pointed out.

"Yeah, he's one of the pure ones." Was the reply that confused Firo completely.

"Huh? What you talking about?" Firo questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. Maiza smiled gently.

"Just as I said, he's pure. A young soul who is afraid of hurting someone, no matter who they are. People like that are very rare, but it's their love and care for others that makes them stronger. I don't suppose you know why he got that tattoo on his face?" Firo shook his head but Maiza did not tell him the reason. Firo and Jacuzzi were very similar, they didn't like to hurt people and they cared a lot for others. However, the difference was that Firo knew that fighting was the only way to ensure his own safety and safety of others, to show weakness leaves you an open target. It was all he ever knew about life. But Jacuzzi was different, Firo wouldn't use the word 'pure' to describe him. No, he'd use the word… 'Real'.

Suddenly Firo lost his train of thought when he entered a private dining area of the hotel that the Martillo family currently resided in. The family boss greeted Maiza and Firo as they approached the large throng of people gathered together. Usually everyone would have a drink or perform a practice match with knives, however, today none of this took place. Business started from the exact second the door closed behind Maiza.

"All right," The boss began. "I'm sure you're all familiar with the Russo family." All the murmurs and whispers joined together to make a hum of noise, each conversation blended together in a way that made them impossible to be understood. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, it seems that they are planning an ambush on our business. According to rumours the boy with the sword tattoo was seen around our area, they think our families are teaming up."

"When was he spotted?" Asked a nameless person from the family.

"Apparently he's been hanging around for two weeks now, his intention is unclear currently but so long as the Russo family is under this assumption, we need to be on guard." The boss stated. Firo had frozen as he processed this information, he was about to say something when Maiza threw him a warning look. Immediately Firo disregarded any thought of speaking his mind. As the members broke apart and went in their own directions, Ennis walked across the room.

"Something is troubling you," She observed. As usual she wore a mask of indifference as she asked this question. Firo looked at her and smiled faintly. She had come to know him very well since he saved her life. She assisted him in removing his green blazer while he himself removed his matching hat. Now he sat wearing his white shirt and black suspenders. Ennis hung his blazer over the back of his chair while she herself pulled a chair closer. "What is it? Is it about the boy with the tattoo?"

"Ya know a lot about me now, don't cha?" He asked, to which Ennis nodded. Nothing so much as a blush rose to her face. He sighed and lowered his voice, just like with Maiza; he explained every detail of the event. Through the duration of this, her expression did not falter in the slightest.

"I see," She stated. "Do you remember the day Isaac and Miria came to New York on board the Flying Pussyfoot?" Firo nodded as he recalled the train that brought his friends, as well as an old friend of Maiza's into the city. "The boy was also on that train; remember he was the one being supported by the scarred woman." He thought back to that day and realised that she was right. The young man he had met today was seen being supported by a woman with a scarred face along the platform, he complained that she was walking too fast and it was hurting him. Everyone had been shocked and confused but it seemed that the incident was disregarded after they left the station.

"You're right!" Firo exclaimed, though thankfully not loud enough to draw too much attention to himself. "But what could 'e possibly want?"

"I heard from Miria that while on board the train, they met the boy. He called himself Jacuzzi, if I'm not mistaken." Firo nodded as recognition poured onto his face. "Although, she said that all she knows is that he was a scared young man who was very shy. There was not much to say."

"Wait a sec; did you know Jacuzzi was sniffin' around our turf?" Ennis nodded calmly, her face still lacking any emotion. It didn't seem like a big deal to Ennis that such a man was wondering around the Martillo family, if he intended on doing something malicious then he would have done so already. "Ya think he's a threat?"

"If I assumed he was a threat, I would have said something." He couldn't argue with that, he trusted her to be honest with him so he did not question her. "By the sounds of things he wasn't attempting to find the Martillo family from where he was. Though if it is true he has been observing for so long, it is likely that he knows the location we are in now." He nodded in agreement, rubbing his head in thought.

"So what now?" He asked.

"Now," She said, pulling a domino out of her pocket. "We take a break." He laughed.


End file.
